And as expected, the home side dominated proceedings with Dybala at the heart of nearly every move, but Milan's young goalkeeper Gianlugi Donnarumma was proving hard to beat. All hell broke loose after this because AC Milan players wanted to confront the referees.

Juve weren't to be denied for long, however, opening the scoring via an unlikely source in Benatia.

The home side would hit the front in the 30th minute through Medhi Benatia.

The second half kick-started with Juventus dominating Milan and were almost rewarded when midfielder Pjanic's cross was deflected on to the cross bar only landing a corner for the Bianconeri.

With Nice trailing 2-0 with 20 minutes left, Balotelli ended a four-game goal drought with a close-range finish from defender Dantes headed pass. "The game was over", said the Juve coach.

The teams' current form and recent history suggests Juventus fans will leave their stadium smiling.

Two minutes later Gonzalo Higuain's bicycle kick was inches wide and he then saw another shot tipped away by Donnarumma.

Milan were down to 10 men by that time after José Sosa was sent off for a vicious sliding tackle.

Massa pointed to the spot after Stephan Lichtsteiner's cross from the right struck Mattia De Sciglio's arm, with Paulo Dybala subsequently slotting home from 12 yards to seal a dramatic win for the reigning champions.

While the manner in which Milan lost in Turin following a controversial injury-time penalty will still hurt, Montella has bigger concerns as he looks ahead to the next game hoping to pick up all three points ahead of the worldwide break.

Juventus, meanwhile, moved 11 points clear at the top of the Serie A table with victory, asserting their dominance in their hunt for a sixth successive Scudetto. Milan, whose more modest aim is to qualify for the Europa League, are seventh.

The teams above them all have a game in hand, but Montella expressed his confidence that his side will achieve European qualification if they replicate Friday's performance for the remainder of the season.